The Chocolate Cake That Is Spooky Levels of Good

“It’s chocolate cake,” I said, handing her the container. “I've been recipe testing and thought you might want some. But truly, don't feel like you have to take it”

Of course, she did, because she's wonderfully sweet. She thanked me, promised to share it with her hubby, and closed the door. Mind and heart racing, I returned to my apartment

— —

Not long ago I moved from a tree-lined neighborhood near ISU's campus to the 18th floor of a building in downtown Des Moines. I'm slowly feeling my way through the new social norms

Some people never seem to mind when I ask questions of them in the elevator. “Great shoes, where did you get them? You smell so pretty, what's your signature perfume?” And if I'm lucky, there's a fluffy puppy to pet

“What's his name?”

For others, it seems, politeness means staying in your lane and leaving others alone. Acknowledgment is the slightest of nods from a distance. I've heard of people going years (yes, years!) ..

without talking to their neighbors

Maybe it’s because of the way I was raised. I grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa. Everyone knew everyone. We gathered together for potlucks on Sundays and the Fourth of July. Favorite recipes collected in church cookbooks. Casseroles brought to someone in need

Or maybe it's because I've lived in neighborhoods with a strong sense of community. At the time they didn't seem like anything special, just simply the way things were. Food was always being shared.

There were block parties on Halloween. Every spring, I'd order at least fifteen boxes of Girl Scout cookies from the neighborhood kids. In the winter, my neighbor shoveled my snow, and in return, I'd feed their kitties when they were out of town. Sunday night pizza parties .. only four houses down.

The friend who perfected homemade bread(that was an extra tasty year in the neighborhood)

Even though I'm fiercely protective of the bubble I've worked so hard to create, my soul still longs for a sense of community. I can't shake the need to help and be helped, by the people around me. It's a feeling that orients and grounds me

So a few weeks ago, I stopped worrying about social etiquette and made the smallest of attempts to feel like I was connected to another person. I propped open my door when I was cooking dinner

At first, nobody knew quite what to do with this strange turn of events. That is until good smells started wafting down the hall .. and the puppies who live next door figured out I've got a treat jar

So far, I've only shared cookies and bone broth(I really did have too much). But I've made great strides

I've started making friends

I've discovered the lawyer at the end of the hall runs marathons and his wife is a prize-winning rose gardener. Someone in the building works as a food stylist for a popular magazine (fingers crossed for an introduction). The lovely woman three doors down volunteers at the local zoo, and now ..

I've got a new dream job

One day, I hope I can trust someone with a spare set of keys, or ask them to check on the kitties if I'm gone. But in the meantime, I'll gladly be known as the woman cooking dinner with her door slightly ajar .. and stopping by with some extra chocolate cake

I wanted to post this early enough that you'll have time to track down the ingredients. In case you're looking for a fun idea to bring to a Halloween party, which I highly recommend

A chocolate cake from the Together cookbook, a collection of family recipes from The Hub Community Kitchen. A community kitchen in Al-Manaar, a mosque close to the Grenfell community in west London. A kitchen that was opened after the Grenfell Tower fire, offering women who had been displaced, and the community around them, a space to cook for their families

“Their roles as matriarchs united them across their cultures; the kitchen provided an opportunity to cook what they knew and to taste the memory of home, albeit homes some had recently lost” ~ HRH The Dutchess of Sussex | Together Cookbook

I couldn't think of a recipe more fitting

The chocolate factor is deep and strong. The cake itself is rich, moist, and tender. It's exactly what you want when you're craving a homemade chocolate cake .. an ace in that regard.

I love a beautiful, frosted, homemade cake like no one else, but don't bake them very often. Because, cake. If it's there, I find myself nibbling on it nearly all day. More often than not, I'll throw together quick and easy loaf cakes (like this or this) and call it a day.

But the story behind the recipe makes a cake like this one, all the more special. And well worth the extra effort.

The frosting is Heidi Swanson's. It's billowy, sweet, chocolate filled, and compelling. You'll want to put it on the cake, and everything else edible in your life. I also found myself dipping berries into it, and orange segments, and maybe even, my fingers.

I’ve been reading your stunning blog for quite a while but have never left a comment. Your writing reminds me of everything that I love about food and also about life. You inspire me so much so thanks to you!

You know what? I am actually *always* looking for another cake recipe because I still haven’t found the mother of all chocolate cake recipes. This looks hopeful, especially with such a wonderful story behind it. I look forward to trying it — and checking out the Together cookbook

This looks wonderful, definitely something I would love to make. It’s so hard to get to know neighbours, mine all wave and I talk to the ones beside me, but I would love to get back to the old community I had where a neighbour would turn off your water main when a sprinkler burst and wouldn’t stop, or people who would check your house and backyard security if your alarm went off! Good luck in your quest for someone to hold your keys!!

So happy to see you posting more regularly again. You were missed. Must try the chocolate cake, though I suspect I will be cursing you for its deliciousness when I’m done. Best wishes to you and your family!

Do you know how amazing I think you are? That’s just so awesome that you are reaching out to your neighbors in amazing ways. I know they might be uncomfortable with it at first. But I don’t imagine it will last that way for long. I love giving away the cake story. It’s pretty cute, especially your heart racing at the end. As for the chocolate cake, it looks amazing. I will show this to my daughter tomorrow. I am sure she will be interested. Hope you are having an amazing day and have a great Halloween today!!!

I know the feeling! When I moved abroad I found so hard to not be involved in a community or visit my neighbours. Here, I barely know their names. But I promised myself I will break the ice and visit one of my neighbours. Ps: This cake looks yammmy !!

Hi, there! This recipe is way too yummy not to try my hands on! And yes, kinda relate to the “being in a community feels like at home”! Not so much now though when I move to Japan. I hope I have a neighbor like you knockin’ on my door with that delicious cake.

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Quote of the Day

On those days when we wake up feeling tender and raw after a sleepless night, when an old friend mysteriously un-friends us on social media, when our children ask us with worried eyes if they will be safe at school, when the week’s small slights and emotional bruises strung together threaten death by a million paper cuts… look for the small kindnesses